


I Don't Feel So Well

by watcherofworlds



Series: Whumptober 2020 [22]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: F/M, Prompt Fill, Whumptober, Whumptober 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-22
Updated: 2020-10-22
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:54:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 795
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27152080
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/watcherofworlds/pseuds/watcherofworlds
Summary: Prompt fill for Whumptober Day 21 "I Don't Feel So Well"
Relationships: Oliver Queen/Felicity Smoak
Series: Whumptober 2020 [22]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1956160
Comments: 8
Kudos: 36
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	I Don't Feel So Well

Oliver stumbled at the bottom of the stairs, the dull ache in his left knee, a constant companion over the last few months, flaring up suddenly, out of nowhere. He winced and fell against the railing, gripping it tightly to steady himself. Then he glanced quickly around to make sure that no one had been around to see what had just happened before proceeding toward the main part of the Foundry. It had been months since the siege and since Roy had injured him, and even though that injury had long since healed, it still pained him. Except for occasional flare ups, like now, it was a slow, dull pain, a minor annoyance easily ignored, which was why he hadn’t mentioned it to the team. Unless or until it started affecting his performance in the field, they didn’t need to know about it. He didn’t need their pity.

As he came around the corner into the work space formed by the circle of tables in the center of the room, he was surprised to see Felicity seated in front of one of them, typing determinedly away with the kind of laser focus that he recognized meant she was busy with some kind of coding.

“I hope it’s okay that I’m here,” she said without taking her eyes off her work.

“Why wouldn’t it be?” Oliver asked.

“Well, you know, “ Felicity replied with a shrug. “I guess it’s just since you’re living down here now, it feels like I’m breaking into your house if I come here when you’re not.”

“You’re always welcome down here, Felicity,” Oliver reminded her gently. “This space belongs to you as much as it does to me. Probably more so, since you’re the one who rebuilt it after the Undertaking.” Felicity nodded and they lapsed into silence.

“Why  _ are _ you here, anyway?” Oliver asked after a moment. “Shouldn’t you be at work?” Felicity shook her head.

“I have the day off today,” she said. “Thank God. Can I just say, I had no idea how lucky I was to have not had to work a retail job until now? It’s a  _ nightmare _ .”

“If you ever need a sympathetic ear, I’m here,” Oliver told her.

“Thanks, but I really don’t want to get into it right now,” she said as he took the seat beside her and settled in, fully prepared to let her rant at him for the next few minutes. “There’s a lot of context that would have to be explained first, and I just don’t feel like it at the moment.” Oliver nodded and did his best to unobtrusively watch as she returned to what she’d been doing. He found it fascinating to watch her brilliant mind at work, making calculations in an instant that would have taken him years of study to comprehend, if he could comprehend them at all. He started rubbing his knee absentmindedly, digging his fingertips in, wondering if maybe the ache was just muscle tension and if he worked the knots out, it would stop.

“Are you alright?” Felicity asked suddenly, apparently noticing what he was doing. Before he could answer, she said, “It’s your injury, isn’t it? It’s still hurting you.” For a moment, all Oliver could do was stare at her.

“How did you know?” he finally dared ask.

“I’ve noticed that over the last few months, you move funny sometimes,” Felicity replied. “Like you start to limp but then catch yourself because you don’t want anyone to see.” Oliver didn’t have a response to that. All he could do was wonder how it was that she knew him so well.

“It’s been months since I was injured,” he said at last, deliberately leaving out the part Roy had played in that event. “It’s healed. I don’t know why it still hurts.”

“Probably because you didn’t get medical attention for it right away,” Felicity said. Oliver started to defend himself, but she silenced him with an upraised hand.

“I’m not blaming you,” she said. “I understand why you didn’t. But the fact is, you made sacrifices in the moment for the sake of others, and this is the consequence of those sacrifices.” She sighed, then asked “Why didn’t you tell any of us about this?”

“Because it’s not that serious,” Oliver replied. “For the most part, I can ignore it, and unless or until it starts affecting me in the field, I didn’t think anyone needed to know about it. I don’t need anyone’s pity.”

“The people in your life caring about you and wanting to know that you’re okay is not  _ pity _ , Oliver,” Felicity said, and though Oliver could sense a lecture coming about letting people in and taking better care of himself, she for some reason left it at that.


End file.
